Plot:
A widow named Amelia and her son Sam come into possession of a mysterious and dark pop-up book called The Babadook. Sam starts to believe the existence of the Babadook, preparing to defend himself from it. Amelia suffers from insomnia and the need to comfort her son, when she begins to see that the Babdook is real.
Rate: 10/10
Review: [SPOILERS ALERT]
Now when I first began watching this movie, I couldn’t stand the son with his constantly screaming, and the whole movie was too gloomy for me.
However, as I began to watch it closely, I realized how brilliant this movie is. If you don’t get catch on to the symbolism of the Babdook, you’ll miss how incredible this movie really is.
The Babadook symbolizes depression, specifically after the death of a loved one in this movie specifically. It’s said that that the more you deny the existence of the Babadook, the stronger it gets. This parallels with depression and the denial of it.
The ending gave me goosebumps because it was perfect! The Babadook never dies or truly goes away. It lives in the basement of their home (where Amelia’s husband’s stuff are stored). The scene reveals Amelia feeding the Babadook. He tries to attack her, but she is able to calm it down and go back into its corner.
It shows how the sadness of her deceased husband is still there, but she can control it.
Perfect ending.
Recommend: YES
Definitely a movie to watch especially because you can take it apart to interpret!
Trailer:
Ok, on one hand, I see your point. The symbolism was actually kind of smart. Do I think this makes it a great movie… I don’t know if I can agree with you on that one. It was supposed to be a horror movie, but I think I ended up laughing at the special effects more then feeling scared. And that kid was the most annoying character ever! Side note: did you see when Netflix accidentally put this in the LGBTQ section? Hilarious Baba-SHOOK memes ensued.